The federal government outlined its position on four key areas in its ongoing negotiations with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) in an open letter addressed to Canadians, marking a shift in its bargaining strategy.
Wage increases, control over telework arrangements, a ban on contracting out work and priority for senior staff in the event of downsizing are the four “key” demands remaining, Treasury Board president Mona Fortier wrote.
“This round of negotiating has been a heavy lift for both parties,” she said in the letter.
The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, the government department that is nominally the employer of bureaucrats, updated or reiterated details on its bargaining position in each of the four areas in the letter.
On CBC’s Power and Politics Monday, PSAC president Chris Aylward confirmed the accuracy of the information in the letter and said he takes it as a “good signal.”
“I actually applaud the minister for putting this letter out,” he said. “It’s the first time that [Fortier’s] actually put our priority issues on the table.”
Key demands
In the letter, the Treasury Board reiterated its offer of a 9 per cent wage increase over three years, a total the board says would provide the average employee an extra $6,250 per year and aligns with the recommendations of the third-party Public Interest Commission.
The government also agreed to a signing bonus for every member, according to the letter, but the value of the bonus was not stated.
Federal government draws red line on telework in negotiations with PSAC
On the issue of telework in negotiations with PSAC, Treasury Board President Mona Fortier says it’s the right of management to continue to evaluate how to best deliver services, and will not be part of a collective agreement.
PSAC was previously asking for a 4.5 per cent wage increase each year for 2021, 2022 and 2023. But Aylward said Monday the union has moved down from that 13.5 per cent overall increase. Aylward did not clarify the new demand.
On telework, the Treasury Board said in the open letter it proposed to jointly review the existing telework directive with the union.
Speaking on CBC’s Power and Politics Monday, Fortier repeated the government’s stance that decisions around telework are the right of management.
“It is a red line,” Fortier said. “We have found creative ways to, of course, engage with employees — and I believe that, because it’s so important that we have the flexibility for managers to see how we are going to best deliver services.”
Aylward nonetheless said he is confident an agreement on telework could be reached.
“We’re not trying to negate managerial rights here,” he said.
PSAC president says feds haven’t addressed ‘priority issues’ yet
Chris Aylward, president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, says key issues still need to be addressed before a deal is reached with the federal government.
Fortier wrote in the letter that the Treasury Board intends to reduce the practice of contracting out work, but said reducing the practice to zero would “severely compromise” the government’s ability to deliver services.
Aylward said the union is not calling for an absolute ban but does want the practice to be reduced, saying work is more cost-effective and transparent when jobs are completed within the public service.
The government also proposed that the Public Service Commission, a government agency that helps develop hiring policies for the federal public service, prioritize merit over seniority in the event of future downsizing.
Most of 570 demands have been met
When negotiations began, PSAC came to the table with about 570 demands, according to the Treasury Board.
Aylward confirmed that number Monday and said most of those demands had been addressed. He said the four issues outlined in the open letter are the main sticking points that stand in the way of a deal.
The national strike for more than 155,000 federal public servants under PSAC began on April 19 at 12:01 a.m. and has entered its second workweek.
Two groups covered by the union remain on strike: one includes approximately 120,000 employees who fall under the Treasury Board, making up several government departments and agencies, and the other is a smaller tax group of more than 35,000 workers at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
